Luminosity Gaming’s Rainbow 6 team has accused developer Ubisoft of blocking them from continuing in the Pro League, following LG’s alleged decision to exit the league.
The story first erupted late on Tuesday, April 14, when LG player Kian ‘Hyena’ Mozayani posted on social media a lengthy statement detailing exactly what has occurred and why they are apparently being held back from competing, despite the decision being an organization one and not a player one.
The news comes prior to a rumored LAN league that Ubisoft are setting up for Rainbow 6, following in the footsteps of some of the world’s biggest esports to provide competitors the best playing conditions possible.
In his statement, Hyena prefaced the post saying that “roughly 3 weeks ago, we were told LG would be releasing us” as they “couldn’t come to an agreement with Ubisoft over the LAN league.”
He then describes a situation in which Ubisoft and LG continued to negotiate and hold meetings, but the players were “left in the dark” throughout the entire process, which was made especially difficult during the current global crisis.
Hyena then says he reached out to a number of people at Ubisoft and accuses them of not responding or simply saying they’re unable to help, not knowing whether he and his teammates will be able to trade to another team when the LAN league arrives – possibly leaving their career on hold as a result.
He also specifically called out Ubisoft Esports Director Robb Chiarini, calling him “grossly unfit” for the role and that “one would assume Ubisoft wouldn’t give this clown an even bigger game to f**k up” (following his work on For Honor and Brawlhalla).
Finally, he lists his team’s accomplishments, saying that they’re “stuck in Vegas and out of a job,” pleading for organizations to give them an opportunity. Luminosity finished 6th in the most recent season of the Pro League, meaning they qualified for next season, so they did earn the spot.
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Of course, this has sent the Rainbow 6 community into a frenzy, with two-time world champion Niclas ‘Pengu’ Mouritzen saying that “now is the time for LG/Ubisoft to come out clean and explain [the situation] in full.”
I personally think its now time for LG/Ubi to come out clean and explain in full, yes this was "leaked" the players involved are possibly losing EVERYTHING theyve worked for and therefor broke NDA. ( understandable )But I want FULL transparency and visbility from sources.
— Pengu (@Pengu) April 14, 2020
R6Leakers, dedicated to sharing news, rumors and leaks coming from the Rainbow Six esports world, spoke about the situation, saying that LG don’t want to pay in to the next season of the league due to performance relative to cost, also adding that Evil Geniuses are another team looking to opt out.
https://twitter.com/R6Leakers/status/1250187630656065545?s=20
Needless to say, this kind of statement has been met with a mixed response, with some critical, while others have come out to support Hyena and his teammates during their struggle, with Pengu even saying that he “admires” Hyena for “standing up.”
Ubisoft are yet to respond to Hyena’s statement, but their hand may be forced if this continues to make traction among the wider esports community.